James Cole begins his first season as an assistant coach on the Baton Rouge CC women’s basketball staff for the 2023-24 season.

Cole comes to BRCC after spending 3 seasons as the head coach at Colby Community College. While at Colby, Cole produced great student athletes on and off of the court. Cole had a 100% graduation rate and has had several players to move on to play at the next level. While at the helm of the Trojans, he helped produce KJCCC All-Academic team members, NJCAA All-Academic team members, KJCCC Honorable Mention, KJCCC All-Defensive Team member, WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls, and WBCA(Women's Basketball Coaching Association) All-American nominee. His team was honored for academic excellence by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The Trojans posted a 3.45 grade point average, which ranked fourth among all qualifying two-year Division I schools.

He has experience coaching at different levels. In the college ranks, he served as an assistant men's coach at Alabama Southern Community College, Millsaps College, Jones County Junior College, and Independence Community College. He was an assistant coach at New Horizon Preparatory (Mississippi Post Grad Academy) in Jackson, MS. Cole was also a head basketball coach at Greenwood High School, Saint Joseph Catholic School, and the Mississippi D1 Ambassadors 17U travel team in Mississippi. Before accepting the position at CCC, he was the head girls coach at Independence High School in Kansas.

A graduate of Magee High School in Magee, MS, Cole began his college basketball career at Wesley College in Florence, MS. He graduated from Pearl River Community College with an associate degree and then he continued to the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned his bachelor's degree in coaching and sport administration. In 2017, Cole earned a master's degree in interscholastic athletic administration from William Carey University.

During his tenure as a coach, Cole has helped win a National Junior College Athletic Association championship, district championship, and received coach of the year awards. He helped produce professional players, McDonald's All-American nominees, and had numerous players earn scholarships to community colleges and universities. Cole also served as a basketball instructor at the University of Southern Mississippi, Colorado State University, Juanita Ward's summer camps, and other high school camps.

Cole and his wife, Chamekia, have three sons and a daughter.